President
Kenyatta congratulates opposition leader Raila
Odinga on his new appointment with the African Union

NAIROBI (Xinhua) --
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on
Saturday congratulated opposition leader Raila Odinga on his
appointment as the African Union high representative for
infrastructure development in Africa.

In a statement,
Kenyatta said the appointment of the former prime minister to
the senior AU position is a great honor not only to Odinga but
also to the people and Kenya..

"It is befitting that the
appointment has been announced on Mashujaa Day
(Heroes Day), an auspicious day when as a country,
we are united in celebrating the outstanding men and
women whose selfless service has contributed to the
shaping of the Kenyan nation," said Kenyatta.

The
former prime minister has over the years been at the
forefront in the development of modern
infrastructure as an economic enabler and as an
instrument for regional and international
integration, said Kenyatta.

While making the appointment, Moussa Faki
Mahamat, the chairperson of the African Union
Commission, said the decision to appoint Odinga
is part of the pan-African body’s drive to
expedite the integration of the continent
through infrastructure, in order to promote
economic growth and sustainable development.

According to Faki, Odinga’s mandate includes
mobilizing further political support from member
states and the regional economic communities and
facilitating greater ownership by all concerned
stakeholders on the continent.

In his statement, Kenyatta said Kenyans fondly
remember Odinga for the exemplary infrastructure
development work he did in his past assignments in
government as minister for roads and public works,
and as prime minister in the Grand Coalition
Government.

Kenyan
opposition leader Raila Odinga has accepted
appointment as the African Union high representative
for infrastructure development in Africa.

.
"Under Odinga, several key infrastructure projects were
conceived and successfully implemented among them the road
by-passes in Nairobi and other major towns across the country,"
said Kenyatta.

In a career spanning
more than 40 years, Odinga held important ministerial
portfolios, including energy, roads, public works, and housing
between 2001 and 2005. He served as prime minister of Kenya from
2008 to 2013.

.

EARLIER REPORT:

East Africa bloc lauds
appointment of Kenya’s Odinga as AU special envoy

NAIROBI, (Xinhua) --The East African bloc on Sunday welcomed the
appointment of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga as the
African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development
in Africa.

Mahboub Maalim,
Executive Secretary of the Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development (IGAD), noted that the critical role of
infrastructure development as a key driver of progress and
sustained economic development.

Emphasizing on the
critical role of infrastructure in driving progress and
sustained economic development, the IGAD Executive Secretary has
acknowledged the wise leadership, vast experience, knowledge and
skills of the former prime minister of Kenya.

“This will go a long
way in mobilizing our collective efforts towards the
implementation of PIDA - the Program for Infrastructure
Development in Africa,” Maalim said in a statement, adding that
the program is a key pillar of the AU Agenda 2063.

As the highest
performing regional economic community in infrastructure, IGAD
stands ready to support the new High Representative in the
fulfillment of his mandate, said the Executive Secretary,
expressing the bloc’s full engagement and commitment to the
realization of the continent’s massive infrastructure and
development needs.

Moussa Faki Mahamat,
Chairperson of the African Union Commission, said in a statement
on Saturday that the decision to appoint Odinga is part of the
pan African body’s drive to expedite the integration of the
continent through infrastructure, in order to promote economic
growth and sustainable development.

Mahamat said Odinga
will work to support and strengthen the efforts of the
Commission’s relevant departments and those of the planning and
coordinating agency of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD), within the framework of PIDA, which was
endorsed by the Assembly of the Union in January 2012.

According to Mahamat,
Odinga’s mandate includes mobilizing further political support
from member states and the regional economic communities and
facilitating greater ownership by all concerned stakeholders on
the continent.

“He will also support the Commission and NEPAD initiatives to
encourage increased commitment from development partners,”
Mahamat said.

African Union appoints
Kenyan Opposition leader Raila Odinga
as high representative for infrastructure development in
Africa

ADDIS ABABA Ethiopia (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) on Saturday
appointed Raila Odinga of Kenya as a high representative for
infrastructure development on the African continent.

The appointment was announced by Moussa Faki, chairperson of
the AU Commission.

The high representative is mandated to mobilize political
support from AU member states and the regional economic
communities and facilitate greater ownership by all concerned
stakeholders on the continent.

He will also support the AU Commission and New Partnership
for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) initiatives to encourage
increased commitment from development partners.

Odinga will also focus on the continental high-speed train,
which is one of the flagship projects of the First Ten-Year
Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.

Thanking Odinga for accepting the assignment, the AU
Commission chairperson noted that Odinga brings with him a rich
political experience and strong commitment to the ideals of Pan-Africanism
and African integration, as well as a deep knowledge of
infrastructure development.

Odinga has served in a number of critical positions in a
career spanning more than forty years.

In addition to having been a member of parliament, he has
held important ministerial portfolios, including energy, roads,
public works, and housing between 2001 and 2005. He also served
as prime minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013.